


on my way to you

by overfireandwater



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, 君の名は。| Kimi no Na wa. | Your Name.
Genre: Aang (Avatar) Is Not The Avatar, Alternate Universe - Character Swap, F/M, Modern AU, Your Name AU, Zutara, and i feel ready to share it bc i love it so much, but there is still bending, still set in the avatar universe, this is my baby that i wrote years ago
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26059807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overfireandwater/pseuds/overfireandwater
Summary: Zuko is a normal teenage boy living in the heart of Republic City.That is until he wakes up in the body of a girl named Katara that lives on the other side of the country.Katara just wants to live a life where she isn't hailed as the greatest water bender of her village.Her wish gets granted when she wakes up as Zuko, a handsome boy who is living her dream of a normal life in the city she's only ever dreamed of.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	on my way to you

**Author's Note:**

> Your Name is my absolute favorite movie.  
> Zutara is one of my oldest OTp's that never was. 
> 
> I strongly recommend watching Your Name, but you don't necessarily have to watch it to read this story.  
> For each chapter, I will write the day and who's perspective it will be written in. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Avatar:The Last Airbender or Kimi no na Wa

“I’ll find my way to you again. I promise!”

She cries out as the crowd of Republic City’s people push her out of the train in their busy non-stop rush. She pushes back as if her life depends on it, but the train doors begin to shut her out and she knows she just won’t make it back to him.  
And it's not like it matters; he doesn't even remember her.

  
Or at least he acted like he didn't.  
  
She even apologizes for speaking to him after he brushes her off and insists that they’ve never met.  
  
But she _knows_ him.

  
She’s traveled all the way to Republic City, ruining her perfect attendance that she’s held since her kindergarten days and on the day Kioku's comet was supposed to be visible of all days!

  
Yet, the boy with the scar on his face watches, confused about the mix of emotions that tug at his heart strings.

He’s never met the girl clad in the pretty white chiffon dress in his life before, but she sure acts like they have.  
But as she slowly gets pushed out of his grasp, the feeling hits him.  
The kind where one searches and struggles for the word that they know - that’s on the tip of their tongue - but it just never comes.

As if he’s pulled by Kioku, the bender of fate and time themselves, he calls out to her just as the train doors begin to close.  
  
He _needs_ to know who she is.

“What’s your name?” He pays no mind to anyone else between them.

“Katara!”

It’s the most beautiful sound he’s never heard.  
Like a song that he vaguely knows the tune too, but can't just quite get the lyrics right.  
  
Waves of brown hair cascade down to her waist when she unites the bow that was so neatly tied in her ponytail.  
  
It dances in the wind before Zuko catches grasps the other end just before it falls to the ground.

  
He looks up and she's already gone, the only thing left of her is her ribbon.

  
He's almost hypnotized by the intricate woven pattern. It's a blue that matches her the shade of her deep blue eyes. Stripes of red intertwine with blue and he ties the ribbon onto his wrist and a wave of sadness hits him; like he’s missing something.

  
_I won't forget your name, Katara._

___

“Katara, for the last time, get up!”

_Who the hell is Katara?_

Zuko thought to himself as he rolled awake and props himself up on his elbows.

_It's summer. Why is it so cold?_

He rubs his eyes, blinking until his vision regained focus and he finds himself in a small room and it’s rather outdated, but neatly organized. The dark wooden walls are seldom decorate with pictures of a family he's never met before.  
There's a small desk to next to the door, covered in post-its and textbooks that are stacked on top of each other and a framed photo of a girl and an older woman smiling in front of a little wooden cabin.  
  
A mother and daughter, maybe?

_Where am I?_

When he turns and catches a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror that’s hung behind the door, he lets out a girlish yell and his hand clutches his throat.

_Who is that?!_

He grabs a handful of thick, wavy, brown hair and his eyes widen with that settling realization that he isn't in his body either.

The wooden floorboards creak under his footsteps as he falls over and rushes to the mirror and grasps it violently.

His - _her_ \- blue eyes are a shade deeper than the pajama dress she has on. He runs his hands through her hair again as if that will somehow fix the situation (it doesn't). He stretches her cheeks, then blinks a couple of times hoping that this is some kind of illusion.

He looked down to the palms of his shaking hands, wiggling his fingers in complete shock that he's controlling this body completely.

It all feels so... **real.**

The boy’s voice from before yells at him to get ready once more, barging into the room with a toothbrush hanging off the corner of his lips and toothpaste flying out of his mouth as he yells, “Why didn’t you wake me up?!"

He stares at him blankly, unsure of what to say and still reeling from the fact that he’s in a girl's body and is now being yelled at by a random stranger.

The blue-eyed boy looks almost identical to the reflection (Except he has a crazy look in his eyes that borders between anger and exhaustion.) he was greeted with in the mirror, so Zuko rightly assumes that this must be her brother.

“Ugh, whatever! Just get your uniform on so we can at least make it to second period.”

He slams the girl's door behind him and he's again met with her reflection again.

"What is going on..." He asks under a hushed breath.

___

“Nice bow.” The brother sarcastically refers to the blue chiffon bow that’s sloppily tied on top of his short button up uniform shirt.

Zuko furrows his eyebrows and he wants to open his mouth to say something back, but it's just so damn cold that he just knows that he'll probably get frostbite if he does.

He shivers at the snow falling onto the girl’s tan skin and watches in wonder as his breath forms a cloud every time he exhales. Republic City winters never got this cold and it's something that he won't miss whenever this dream decides to end.  
Not that he's going to miss being in this dream state. The sky is a cool bluish grey as if it were eternally winter here, which is probably the case.

He scans over the village, which is nothing more than a speck of dust compared to Republic City, his home.

In fact, he can see where it ends from the steps of what he assumes is the girl’s house.  
Then begins the vast and seemingly endless ocean that lies in front of them.

 _What is this place..._ He thinks to himself as he rubs his palms on his bare arms in a vain attempt to warm himself up.

The boy clears his throat and gives him a look under a raised brow as if he's waiting for Zuko to do something.

"What?” He asks harshly, as the last sliver of patience brushes off of him like the snow falling from the sky.

He points to the plants that sit outside, which are tucked neatly under a bright light and reminds him harshly that it's his job to water the plants.

Zuko decides that he’s had enough of his antagonizing and decides to call him out on why he doesn’t do it himself.

“You’re the water bender!” He huffs, “What is going on with you today?”

_A water bender?_

That explains blue shades on her uniform and the unbearably cold weather.  
He’s in a Water Tribe village.

He doesn't recall ever meeting a water bender himself, much less being able to perform their moves.

Still, he tries his best to mimic the movements that he’s seen in television shows and and scrolls his mom read to him as a child.

**  
_Splash!_  
**

A sphere of water crashes into the already irritated boy’s face and Zuko bites the corner of his lip and looks away as if he won't notice him trying to stifle his laughter (he does).

He lets out a exasperated sigh, already dealt with enough for the day and walks down the vine-covered staircase down to two bikes, one a pale yellow and the other dark green. He doesn't even know how to ride a damn bike!

The boy bikes a few feet before turning around and questions yells over his shoulder, “Let's go!”

For a dream, he sure is breaking a sweat as they bike down the road. He spends more time falling and scraping his knees and making a fool of himself than actually biking.

A girl’s voice calls the boy’s name, Sokka, from behind them as they made it up the steps of the school and Zuko is finally able to catch his breath.

She’s taller than Katara and has a humble smile painted across her cherry red lips as she plants a kiss on Sokka’s cheek.

It’s almost laughable how neatly her blouse is tucked into her skirt and how sloppily put together his own uniform is.  
_This guy has a girlfriend?_ He thinks.

That’s probably only a tiny bit more believable than him being in a random strangers body. But not by much.

He figures her name is Suki when a group of other students wave at her and call out her name. The school, compared to his own, is only one building and looks like it  
was founded when Avatar Wan was alive.

“Hey, Katara!” Her greeting is much too enthusiastic for Zuko and he doesn’t say much except a very curt hello that he offers so Sokka doesn't yell at him again.

They shared a concerned look and Suki wants to ask, but as if he's already read her mind, he says, "Don't look at me. I dunno."

Fortunately for him, the bell rings and the taller girl has the same class, saving him from having to wander the halls alone.

The teacher is much too old to still be working, but considering how small this town is they probably don’t have too many options for a replacement.  
He doesn't even seem to notice the few students dozing off and the other's texting under their desk.

He sounds like he’s about to cough up a lung, but it’s gets Zuko's attention for a brief moment.

“Today we will be looking into legend of Kioku, the bender of fate and time.”

He’s heard of the myth before in his own studies but has never been one to believe in it. It's been years, but if he recalls correctly, Kioku is a spirit who can bend fate and time itself.  
While it can only happen once in a millennium, people find themselves experiencing odd things that science can't explain. Which is why the boy is so convinced that it just can't be real.

Fate was absolute, just like how everyone lives and then dies.  
Time isn't something that can be messed with either. It doesn’t bend for anyone nor does it allow for change.

Kioku's comet bringing a magical hour where time blends into one another and fates collide sounded more ridiculous then the idea that he's actually switched bodies with this girl.

It’s all a load of crap.

He searches through the girls brown satchel out of boredom.  
Homework. Pencil bag. A red notebook.

He flips through the pages of the notebook rather loudly.  
Her notes are neat and color coded much to a point that he almost feels bad when he takes a pen from her cute little yellow pencil bag and writes in obnoxiously big handwriting:

**Who are you?**

Suki nudges him and reminds him to pay attention, which annoys him even more than he is now.  
He shoots a glare at her, which honestly frightens her because she's never been the recipient of that look before.

"The comet has entered our orbit and in just a few weeks, we will be able to see it for ourselves!" The teacher enthusiasm is admirable and frankly, it’s the only reason that Zuko decides to pay attention;.

“Legend has it that when the comet is at its highest peak, we can experience something called the bending hour.” The old man goes on, pacing the wooden floorboards as if he's giving a performance. Maybe if he had a teacher like that

“Fate and even time itself can change during the bending hour.”

 _Oh, please._ Zuko rolls his eyes and lets out an audible scoff

“This is a once in a lifetime event and perhaps yourselves may experience out of body experiences!”

How ironic.<  
The rest of the day is unremarkable. He doesn't get to practice any waterbending, which would have been the only saving grace of having to live this terrible dream.  
When he finally gets home, he throws himself onto her still unmade bed and looks up to the ceiling, greeted by the sight of the starry night sky through her moon roof.  
He’s never seen such a clear view of the stars before.  
  
Eventually the silence lulls him into a peaceful sleep.

___

_Huh. Weird dream._

He wakes up in his room with walls that seem like they could touch the sky and a window that invites hues of sky blue in his otherwise dark room. The scent of jasmine tea fills the room and he let's out a sigh of relief when he takes a sip of it, still somehow feeling the cold air from his dream.  
He makes a mental note to thank Uncle for the much needed cup.

Slowly, the recollection of his odd dream faded with every minute he's awake until it’s nothing but another dream forgotten in the back of his mind as he scrolls through his phone.

6:59 AM  
He clicks the home button a couple of times, wondering why Toph and Aang, his two best friends since they were children, haven't blown up his phone like they usually do.

The default screensaver that he's never changed before is now a picture of he, Aang and Toph with a bowl of fire flakes in the background.  
He's actually... _smiling_?

Aang has an ear to ear grin as he takes the picture with his free hand. Toph's arm is hooked over Zuko's neck with a smile that's equally wide as the airbenders.  
But his attention is set on the snack in the background. He **hates** fire flakes.  
  
Before he could give it too much thought, his sister, Azula, barges into his room without any warning whatsoever.

"Zuzu!" He hates the nickname she's always used to greet him the few times that she decides to talk with him. But if anything, he knows that it must be important for her to speak with him.  
He tilts his head in confusion when she mentions that their father isn't too happy that he was late to school the day before. She has a smirk firmly planted on her face, like she _enjoys_ the fact that he's in trouble.  
But then he realizes: He doesn't remember going to school yesterday either.

He gulps and is lucky that father has only sent his sister to pass on the message. The last time father had wanted to talk to him, he left with a permanent scar on his face to always serve as a reminder to never piss him off.  


___

  
Has the school cafeteria always looked so crowded? >He thinks to himself for some odd reason that he can't quite put his finger on.  
It's the same place he's been going to for the past two years. He even has the same lunch, a bento with chicken katsu packed by his uncle.  
He sees the usual people hanging out with the same groups they've always been in: Azula, Mai and Ty Lee are sitting in the corner table with their crowd of friends.

He can still spot Aang and Toph, the same people he’s been friends with since they went to bending preschool years back and he's never been more relieved to see them in his life.

Despite the odd morning he's already had, he's more than excited to see his friends and maybe ask for recollections about yesterday.

He even has the slightest hint of a smile playing on the corner of his lips as he walks past all the metal benches and tables before greeting his friends a little too enthusiastically. Almost immediately, they cease their conversation, leaving Zuko confused.

Toph glares at him, crosses her arm against her chest and sticks her chin up in the air as he takes the seat across from her. She quickly debates if she should use her earthbending to throw a rock in his direction.

“Oh, are you going to lecture me again about how rude I am?” She says curtly with a pout.

“What are you taking about?” Zuko asks, completely taken aback by her question.

Aang’s stare shoots between the earth bender sitting next to him and Zuko, who’s furrowed brows causes the airbender to think that maybe he really doesn’t recall what he said yesterday.

“I think what Toph is trying to say is, you we’re acting kinda weird yesterday.” Aang explains in his usual calm voice, even though he himself

He doesn’t recall ever calling Toph rude (because he knows that’s just her personality and he knows this) and even if he did, he certainly would own up to it.

“Well, actually...you were being pretty mean to me too.”

Sure, he and Toph had spats here and there, but he and Aang have never even once disagreed with each other let alone say anything remotely mean to each other in their fourteen years of friendship

That's when he realizes that something has to be wrong.  
The picture on his phone.  
The fact that he was late to school and the way he doesn't remember ever making these comments to his friends.  
It's like he _knows_ that he's forgetting something, but he just can't remember it.

Zuko tilts his head and scratches the top of it as he almost pulled a muscle trying to remember even the tiniest tidbit of the day before, but he comes up empty.

"I really don't remember anything from yesterday..." Zuko confesses and of course they are skeptical at first, but then Toph listens to his heartbeat, calm and unchanging.

“He’s telling the truth...” She says, just as confused as the brunette boy. Zuko has never been more grateful for Toph's enhanced hearing skills then in that moment.   


Even though they’re quite confused that he couldn’t remember such a thing, they really believe him.

Aang and Toph whisper some words that Zuko can’t hear before they forgive him for whatever he is that he didn’t do.

He isn’t sure whether he’s relieved or just even more confused then he was before.

“Only ‘cause we’ve been friends for years. And no one else would ever hang out with you.” Toph teases only half-jokingToph and shrugs as she takes a piece of chicken katsu from Zuko's lunch and throws it into her mouth.

“Maybe Kioku’s bending got to ya.” Toph says, stealing another piece of Katsu from a completely oblivious Zuko.

“What?” He asks bringing his attention back to his two friends and his already half eaten lunch.

"Ya know...Fate and time bending?” Toph suggests in nonchalance, unleashing a new slew of thoughts on the poor fire bender, "Jeez, do you ever listen in class?"

“Yeah! Maybe you’ll get to experience bending hour!” Aang says with genuine excitement.

Of course he’s the only one at the table to believe in that.

Toph digs her elbow into his rib cage playfully.

“I was joking, twinkle toes.” Toph assures, “Besides, none of that stuff is real anyway.”

But there can’t actually be any truth in what she says.  
Still, he can’t ignore the nagging feeling that he’s forgetting something. It eats away at him like how Toph and Aang scarf down his lunch while he’s deep in thought.

Fate and time were an absolute certainty. There's no way that any of that stuff is true.

...Right?


End file.
